Bobo Bonobo® > wrote in
:


>>
>> _Every_ dog has the potential to harm humans. _Every_ dog. _Every_
>> breed.
>>
>> The only dog with no potential to harm anyone is one that has had its
>> tee
> th
>> and claws removed.
>
> Then perhaps no one should bring them into public, ever.


No - people should have their dogs well trained and well under control
in public. Unfortunately there are irresponsible dog owners. Just as
there are irresponsible parents, irresponsible drivers etc.


What type of
> dog do you own, or have you owned?
>
> The dog in this tale is a MFing rottweiler.

I don't have a dog at the moment - our last dog was a Shetland Sheepdog,
the dog before that an Australian Cattle Dog. Neither was a vicious,
unpredictable dog but I still worried when children I didn't know ran up
at them or shoved a hand in their face. Animals are animals. They still
had teeth. They were still dogs.

Rottweilers as a breed are not inherently vicious or dangerous. They are
larger and can potentially inflict more damage than a smaller dog, but
not necessarily any more likely to bite.

If someone knows that their dog is unpredictable or if they know that
their dog does not react well to children or strangers then they
shouldn't take them into situations where they'll encounter them. And
you should always be aware of where your dog is - I don't know how she
could miss that it had slipped its collar.

I never said the owner was without fault. I was merely pointing out that
dogs are animals and that all dogs have the potential to bite. As do
cats, hamsters, rabbits, birds (a large parrot can do a lot of damage)
etc. You should always remember this when interacting with animals or
when around them.

And an animal bite should always be considered in light of the
circumstances. There are most certainly situations where an animal is
dangerous and should be euthanased. There are also situations where the
bite is provoked. I was not present at the store where this happened so
I'm making no judgements.

--
Rhonda Anderson
Cranebrook, NSW, Australia

Core of my heart, my country! Land of the rainbow gold,
For flood and fire and famine she pays us back threefold.
My Country, Dorothea MacKellar, 1904